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“This marks my first steps in a venture through Indian teas. I’ll be exploring black, green, oolong, and chai teas. Thanks to Vahdam Tea’s sampler packs, I have a pretty diverse selection of...”
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“This tea was an all-around pleasure to drink.
The dried leaves were whole, mostly golden tips, and rolled well.
I steeped 4 grams of tea in 12 ounces of near-boiling water for 4 minutes.
The color...”
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“I wrote a review for this tea last night and tried to post it at least four separate times, but it got eaten each time. Steepster was hungee!!! Anyway, this was another of the samples that Vahdam...”
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“This is a very tasty tea. It has strong notes of muscatel grapes. It has a nice natural sweetness to it. I really like this tea. It however does not taste to me like a black, green or oolong but...”
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From Vahdam Teas

Harvested on 8th April 2017, this highly aromatic First Flush tea is from one of the celebrated estates of Darjeeling. The tightly rolled leaves carry the specks of green that dominate the tea. Once brewed, your cup will have an earthy aroma. The tea itself is chinary with a mild vegetal profile, much like a green tea.
This tea makes for a simple cup to savour the joys of life.

8 Tasting Notes

This marks my first steps in a venture through Indian teas. I’ll be exploring black, green, oolong, and chai teas. Thanks to Vahdam Tea’s sampler packs, I have a pretty diverse selection of quality teas.

So, I couldn’t bring myself to follow their brewing recommendations and brew Western style. WIth only 10g to work with, I had to go gong fu – once with about 6g in 150ml gaiwan, and another with 4g in a 60ml gaiwan. Yes – full on gong fu.

I have to say – this tea was made for gong fu brewing. Not only did both of my sessions yield substantially different results, but the heavily-leafed version (4g/60ml) was extraordinarily dynamic and revealed new facets with just the slightest changes in brewing parameters. It was simply a FUN tea to brew. (As a side note – the 6g/150ml version had more grape leaf flavors, while the 4g/60ml version had some almond, yeast roll, and pollen. Both had rich and syrupy finishes).

The flavors ranged from fruity to vegetal, from floral to sweet, with herbs, spices, and even baked goods making an appearance. Really fun, and on par with Taiwanese high-mountain oolongs. However, just like these oolongs, I can’t say that I would ever purchase anything more than a sample – at $38 for 100g, it is simply out of my budget for what I pay for tea. But, it is well worth adding a sample to my cart just to remind myself of the kinds of experiences that are available out there in the world of tea.
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Dry leaf: primary grape leaf note. Secondary notes of light roasted nut, parsley, cilantro, and sassafras. Hints of anise. In preheated vessel – more nut flavors, buttery syrupiness.

I steeped 4 grams of tea in 12 ounces of near-boiling water for 4 minutes.

The color of the liquor was like a wheat pilsner—very light, pale yellow.

The aroma was floral, but undefined further than that. The floral aroma translated also into the flavor, along with hay and a slight muscatel flavor.

Overall, it is an excellent 1st flush Darjeeling—one that I’d like to keep in stock on my shelves for days when I am in the mood for a 1st flush. Given the nature of the tea, though, I don’t think it would have a long shelf life. Plus, the price is a bit high for me to make this a regular brew.

NOTE: My tea had a date of picking of 08 April 2017

Flavors: Floral, Hay, Muscatel

Preparation

I wrote a review for this tea last night and tried to post it at least four separate times, but it got eaten each time. Steepster was hungee!!! Anyway, this was another of the samples that Vahdam Teas so kindly sent to me. I had long been aware that the Arya Tea Estate was one of the most consistently acclaimed tea producers in Darjeeling, but until I tried this tea, I had yet to try any of the teas produced by this estate. If this one was representative of their offerings, I guarantee I will be trying more soon.

I prepared this tea Western style. I steeped 3 grams of loose tea leaves in 8 ounces of 194 F water for 5 minutes. I did not attempt any additional infusions.

Prior to infusion, the dry tea leaves emitted a pronounced Muscatel aroma underscored by grass and sweet corn. After infusion, I again picked up a strong Muscatel scent balanced by sweet corn and grass, but this time I also picked up nice aromas of citrus, malt, herbs, and peach. In the mouth, there was a strong Muscatel note from the entry to the swallow. Notes of white peach, tangerine, sweet orange, grass, herbs, malt, cream, honey, and sweet corn provided balance. The fade offered lingering traces of Muscatel underpinned by citrus, honey, grass, sweet corn, and malt.

This was a seriously impressive offering. Of the first flush Darjeelings I have tried, this one probably offered the clearest and strongest Muscatel presence. Fortunately, there was a lot more to this tea than that. I would recommend this one highly to those looking for a sweet, fruity first flush Darjeeling with a well-defined Muscatel character.

Teepland, I hope you enjoy the Vahdam sampler. Honestly, I slept on Vahdam for some time. I found out about them last year, but never bothered placing an order. Then, out of the blue, they offered to send me some free samples to review. Naturally, I jumped at the opportunity. I have had several recommendations for Teabox as well, so I’m thinking that I will give some of their offerings a try this summer (I’m trying to avoid buying any more tea for the next couple of months. I have to get the hoard under control.).

Funny that you mention Teabox—I was actually going to make a purchase with them first but changed my mind after reading your reviews of Vahdam. I came across Teabox initially through their blog and have been wondering about the quality of their Darjeelings. Please let me know if you place an order—I’d be interested in what you think of their product.

This is a very tasty tea. It has strong notes of muscatel grapes. It has a nice natural sweetness to it. I really like this tea. It however does not taste to me like a black, green or oolong but as something I have found only in First Flush Darjeelings.

I brewed this one time in a 16oz Teavana Glass Perfect Tea Maker/Gravity Steeper with 3 tsp leaf and 190 degree water for 3 minutes.